How to break through the wall – creating success in times that feel impossible

On my daily walk to work I cross a bridge over the Willamette River. It’s not a wide river, but just upstream is a broad, powerful falls. The banks of the river are steep rock walls, dropping over 70 feet from the roadway to the water below. I’ve been walking over this bridge nearly every day for a year now. It’s my few minutes for reflection and planning; lately I’ve found myself thinking about the power of the water.

I see how the water, when it is focused into a narrow channel, can cut through what appears to be solid rock. The water that falls as a soft, blanketing mist much of the winter here in Oregon turns into a force that literally changes the landscape. It cuts its way cleanly through stone, over time.

As I consider that force, I think of two key concepts that I can apply to my work: focus and tenacity. It’s easy in any business to try something a time or two and then give up, looking for an easier way around an obstacle.

Obstacles like a poor economy, however, aren’t easy to get around. When the primary barrier to your success is money, from the client’s perspective, it can feel like a solid rock wall.

Whether you’re talking about a community that desperately needs census building to cover payroll and other costs, or, as in my business, a product that is needed but may not be considered essential to operations, the barriers can feel rock solid and impenetrable.

That’s when I start thinking about the river. It can’t break through a solid wall with a meandering stream. But when the force of the river is focused into a single, powerful jet of water, it can cut through almost anything – given enough time. That’s the second part of this principle – time and consistency. The Grand Canyon wasn’t forged in a single season, but it created a masterpiece over time with the focus and tenacity that is, itself a force of nature.

From my personal perspective, I’m encouraged by news articles like the one out of London that reports that 78% of human resources leaders are looking to online training to reduce their costs in accessing external trainers and resources and 57% are looking for ways to reduce the amount of time staff spend out of the office on training. This report shows a trend toward more companies looking at custom online training as a way to reduce their training expenses while still maintaining a competitive edge during tough times. Of course, this is exactly what our company has been promoting for the past two years, often feeling like we were running into that solid rock wall of resistance.

The expert quoted in the article concludes, "Now, more than ever, it is imperative to have a fully trained and knowledgeable workforce on hand to see you through these tough times but not at the expense of productivity. eLearning solutions such as virtual classrooms, web based training and mobile learning not only minimise the time employees spend out of the office, but they also allow employees to carry out training at flexible times, thereby reducing impact on their day-to-day work."

Ah, a little crack in the wall is suddenly appearing.

I believe I’ll focus and continue to be tenacious, and see if we can create a channel right through this barrier.

What’s your barrier? Take a lesson from the river, and break through it this winter!

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